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NATO and the US seek military aid to Ukraine from South Korea, one of the world’s most powerful militaries, after sending US-made Abrams tanks and German Leopard 2 tanks. Seoul did not confirm, however. even if he will agree to the request and on past occasions he has argued that his help can only be humanitarian. North Korea responded to the hearing, saying NATO was trying to get its “military boots on the region.”
The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, urged South Korea to send weapons to Ukraine. Stoltenberg arrived in Seoul on January 29 to meet with the South Korean government in order to strengthen the strategic relationship against China’s arms expansion in the Asia Pacific region. However, this Monday the central topic of the meeting between Stoltenberg and the president of South Korea, Yoon Suk Yeol, was the war in Ukraine.
“Step up the specific issue of military support” was the clear message from Stoltenberg, who noted that several NATO members and allies, including Germany, Norway and Sweden, have changed their policies of not exporting arms to countries in conflict to support Ukraine. .
The Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance knows the importance of South Korea at the war level, being the sixth most powerful army in the world with 965,000 active soldiers and 4,000,000 in reserve.
But it’s not just NATO that is seeking to persuade Seoul to change its non-lethal aid stance to Ukraine. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also visited Seoul to discuss defense support for kyiv.
In addition, Washington promises to deepen its cooperation with the South Korean defense industry, which it has praised as a standout in advanced weaponry.
South Korea’s non-lethal aid to Ukraine
The South Korean government has focused on humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the Russian invasion began on February 24. Seoul has sent more than 20 tons of humanitarian aid items to the front, intended for the population of the European country and for refugees.
This assistance is part of the aid valued at 40 million dollars announced by the South Korean Executive since March 2022. Among the elements sent are defibrillators, general purpose fans and first aid kits; but no weapons. If Seoul agrees to send weapons to kyiv, it would be the first time that it has not done so through third countries.
South Korea has sold military equipment to Poland and the United States for use in Ukraine. The Asian country has signed major deals to supply hundreds of tanks, planes and other military equipment to NATO member Poland since Russia launched its offensive. A US defense official told local media that Washington was considering buying 100,000 rounds of South Korean-made artillery ammunition in December last year.
But Yoon Suk-Yeol said it was difficult for his country to directly deliver weapons to Ukraine, as South Korean law prohibits the supply of weapons to countries in conflict. In addition, Seoul is also a signatory to the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty, ratified in 2014 with the intention of maintaining strict control over who gets the weapons and under what conditions they can be used.
However, the NATO secretary general reminded the South Korean president that the most effective aid is military. “If we don’t want autocracy and tyranny to win, then we need weapons for the Ukrainians, that’s the reality,” said Jens Stoltenberg, who insists on the discursive change of countries that had the same position as Seoul, pointing out that Germany, Sweden and Norway have deviated from their traditional policy of not supplying arms to countries at war.
Tension on the Korean Peninsula after NATO’s intention
Stoltenberg’s proposals to the South Korean government came hours after North Korea condemned his visit to South Korea and Japan, saying NATO was trying to get its “military boots on the region” and trying to put pressure on the US Asian allies to provide weapons to Ukraine.
In a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency, North Korea said increasing cooperation between NATO and US allies in Asia was part of steps to create an “Asian version of the NATO” that would increase tensions in the region.
North Korea also issued two separate statements over the weekend condemning the United States for its decision to supply Ukraine with advanced tanks, calling it a sinister move to escalate a “proxy war” aimed at destroying Moscow.
The series of remarks reaffirms North Korea’s alignment with Russia over the war in Ukraine, for which Pyongyang has blamed the West. Jens Stoltenberg cited US intelligence reports accusing North Korea of supplying Russia with weapons to support its war in Ukraine, which he said highlights how security between regions “is increasingly interconnected.”
However, North Korea has repeatedly denied US allegations that it has been sending large supplies of artillery shells and other munitions to Moscow to support its offensive in Ukraine and warned that President Joe Biden’s administration would face “undesirable” consequences. unspecified if the “self-made rumor” continues to spread. Even the start of a war on the Korean Peninsula.
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